1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an artillery projectile extractor, and more specifically to a hand operated projectile extractor capable of extracting any projectile from a howitzer without jamming or damaging the projectile.
2. Description of Related Art
Modern artillery projectiles, such as the Excalibur XM982, that are capable of self-guidance to a predetermined target, can be very expensive, i.e. costing over $80,000 per projectile. In the past, if such a projectile had to be removed unfired from a 155 mm howitzer, such as the M198 howitzer, an extractor, such as shown in FIG. 1 herein, would have been inserted into the muzzle of the howitzer's barrel, to force the projectile back out of the howitzer's breech. Due to the relatively light weight of such prior extractors, approximately 11 pounds, insufficient momentum could be generated by hand to force the projectile from the breech—such that a sledgehammer would be used to hit the handle, or a vehicle backed against the handle, to generate enough force to eject the projectile. Further, the prior extractor would occasionally bind to the projectile, forcing use of mechanical means to extract the projectile and extractor from the barrel, further wasting time. More troubling than the time and effort of lowering the barrel and using a vehicle, or the occasional binding, was the fact that the configuration of the portion of the extractor that impacted the projectile was such as to damaged the sensitive guidance components within the head of the projectile, such that the projectile would have to be discarded, a total loss.
Clearly there was a need in the art for an extractor capable of generating the momentum to remove an unfired projectile, without any binding, and without any damage to the projectile.